The Last Word on the Sharon Stone Crotch Shot

Index Magazine finally puts to rest any questions about the infamous Sharon Stone money shot in Basic Instinct in an interview with the film's director, Paul Veerhoven, a man named Jost and Bruce la Bruce:

Bruce la Bruce: With the famous scene in youe sex-thriller Basic Instinct, in which Sharon Stone uncrosses and crosses her legs, there have been rumors that she wasn't really aware of the camera angle.

Paul Veerhoven: I've been trying to set the record straight about this for years! (laughs) At different times, Sharon has said a lot of contradictory things, but my recollection of that scene has always been very consistent. The shot had been thoroughly discussed with her, of course. I was there with perhaps four people, including a boom man, and Jost, the DP. She had told me that she wanted to work with a very small crew.

Bruce: That's standard for a scene of this nature, I would think.

Paul: Yes. So we shot it at around 7pm. And she saw all the angles, because we taped it. Since Jost and I are both Dutch, she was in the presence of two liberal people who would not be shocked by a shot like that. At the time, she had no problem with it.

Bruce: people have debated the scene endlessly -- one side says it's exploitative, while the other calls it the ultimate moment of pussy power. Essentially it made Stone a superstar.

Paul: During the filming, the atmosphere was very relaxed. When Sharon saw it in a theater for the first time, it was completely different. She brought in almost twenty people -- all kinds of managers, agents, and friends. I think they were affraid that the explicit shot would cancel out the strength of her star-making performance. So Sharon came up to me and said that she wanted it out.

Bruce: She had a history of doing nudity in her early films, didn't she?

Paul: I think she had done nudity before. She later said she was going to sue me, but of course she never did becuase she knew that she had agreed to it. In all honesty, she initially loved the scene becuase of how it symbolized female dominance.